Ribbon-Cutting Welcomes Eager Park’s 1812 Ashland Building

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Nov. 28 celebrated the newest addition to East Baltimore’s burgeoning Eager Park neighborhood. The building at 1812 Ashland Ave. will house a number of Johns Hopkins endeavors, including Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, the FastForward 1812 innovation hub and a gene sequencing lab.

“In 1812, we see our aspirations for the future,” says Johns Hopkins University president Ronald J. Daniels to a crowd that included Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Rep. Elijah Cummings and other elected officials. Daniels calls the new six-story building “another very important milestone in Eager Park.”

Regarding the FastForward 1812 innovation hub scheduled to open in early 2017, Daniels says it will provide the space, services and support startups need to put roots down in Baltimore and bring jobs to the area.

Located just north of the Johns Hopkins medical campus, 1812 Ashland Ave. will also have a Starbucks Opportunity Cafe. This training center, one of five fin the United States, will teach job and workforce skills to young people and will provide select participants an opportunity to earn a free college education.

Celebrations have become a regular occurrence in Eager Park and will continue into 2017. Two months ago, 44 Johns Hopkins employees took advantage of a $36,000 incentive provided by Johns Hopkins to purchase new Eager Park homes. In February, construction of a 5.5 acre park near the 1812 Ashland Ave. building broke ground. This spring, Johns Hopkins will celebrate the grand opening of FastForward 1812.